For many people, their knowledge of extreme metal mainly springs from the nefarious activities of a small group of Norwegian musicians in the 1990s. But there’s more to this genre than meets the eye.
Arts activism isn’t new, but online activist movements are changing the way it gets done. In this anonymous virtual landscape, does activism democratise social relations, or nurture inequality?
Parents and politicians once feared heavy metal music would inspire devil worship, reckless sex and rampant drug use. A new study investigates what became of young metal fans.
After travelling through the bush, returning to the cacophonies of the sonic city can be exhilarating. The body is immediately swamped with an energy that speaks of action, progress, and possibility.
Concert organisers began to compete for government contracts. Often these contracts came with conditions as to who, among musicians, was desirable at government events.
Although the intention is to tell the story of Mushroom Records founder Michael Gudinski, rather than a business, the two are never far apart. So what do we learn from ‘the book Gudinski never wanted’?
She might now seem rather light-entertainment, but as the only female act to make a success out of ‘Merseybeat’ and go on to an ITV career as a female powerhouse, she deserves more.
Nicolas Suzor, Queensland University of Technology et Rachel Choi, Queensland University of Technology
A new book and documentary tell us more about the story behind Men at Work’s song Down Under – and the court case it eventually led to. They also prompt questions about current Australian copyright law.
Cold Chisel’s Khe Sanh was played at Reclaim Australia rallies in various cities last weekend – but won’t be again, after a public statement by the band’s frontman, Jimmy Barnes. Was it a good song choice?